Why have a bike fit in the first place?

Even though cycling is up there as one of the best rehabilitation tools following a lower limb injury, it can turn full circle and be the source of injury also. When you are out on the bike, you will be spinning from anywhere between 4000 and 7000 revolutions per hour.

If you happen to be setup in a poor position on the bike, then this large volume of repetition will eventually result in pain. You may at first notice tightness in muscles, numbness in the hands/feet and general soreness around the neck and shoulders. With time, these niggles will manifest and present as pain somewhere in the body. Pain arises when your body runs out of room to compensate for poor form, whether this poor form is as a result of poor position on the bike or inadequacies with the musculoskeletal system of the rider.

If you are being pestered by pain when cycling, or you just want to become more efficient and faster on the bike – book yourself in because this bike fit will address both.

Why have a physiotherapist fit your bike ?

Physiotherapists are specialists in assessing and treating the human body, which after all is more than half of the bike-fit picture! Physiotherapists who are trained in the specifics of bike fitting and musculoskeletal or movement screening assessment are perfectly positioned to make positive changes to the bike and the cyclist. Examples of this may include strengthening and stretching, improving muscle co-ordination/patterning, training drills and modifications to the bike.

Treating pain is also on the agenda. For example, if you position your pelvis correctly on the bike, you will have a less flexed lumbar spine and are therefore less likely to have low back pain when cycling. Back pain is not just a matter of ‘seat post too high’, it is more to do with your awareness of your pelvis position, strength of your muscles around your hips and the control of movement at the pelvis.